Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered butterfly Lycaena helle (Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae)

Six polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated in the endangered butterfly Lycaena helle. Five of them provided interpretable results. We detected four to 34 alleles per locus in a total of 235 samples (males and females) collected from meadows in the Ardennes-Eifel (Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium) and the Westerwald (Germany). We collected one leg for DNA-extraction as a non-lethal method. The expected heterozygosities ranged from 48.6% to 83.1%, depending on the locus analysed. These markers are currently being used in our studies of the species' phylogeography over its western Palearctic distribution area and for the analysis of the conservation status of the fragmented populations in Central Europe.